00:00In the 1960s, the Zodiac Killer terrorizes the San Francisco Bay Area.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:09for the most unsettling unsolved mysteries that occurred in the United States.
00:13We want an answer.
00:14We want to know why.
00:15We want to know who.
00:17And until we do, I think there will always be an interest.
00:21Number 10.
00:22Escape from Alcatraz.
00:24It's a prison where every inmate learns one thing.
00:28There is no way out.
00:31It was one of America's most infamous prisons, and for good reason.
00:34Located off the coast of San Francisco,
00:36the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was deemed inescapable.
00:39That is, until 1962, when a group of inmates made it outside the prison's walls.
00:44According to official reports, they left decoys behind,
00:47escaped through air vents, and fled on a raft.
00:51Their bodies have never been recovered,
00:53leading some to believe the attempt was successful.
00:56One of the alleged escapees even sent a note to the FBI claiming that they had made it.
01:01However, others are less optimistic,
01:03and believe that they succumbed to the rough waters.
01:06With no physical evidence, their whereabouts remain elusive.
01:10Although, the event did lead to Alcatraz being shut down.
01:13I think they made it.
01:14I think they made it.
01:15I think they made it.
01:16I think they made it.
01:17I think they made it.
01:18I think they made it.
01:19I think they made it.
01:20Why they got away was because
01:24everybody else that tried to get off this island was accounted for.
01:27Those three guys are still unaccounted for today.
01:31This mystery is interesting simply because it was created to be one.
01:35Erected in 1990, the odd statue sits just outside the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
01:41It's a large stone covered in characters that make up four different cryptic messages.
01:49It has thousands of characters carved into it.
01:53Although three of these messages have been successfully decoded,
01:56the last one remains elusive.
01:58Countless people have attempted to solve it,
02:00with the creator even providing clues to help.
02:02It is considered to be one of the most famous unsolved codes in the world.
02:07While some words have slowly been revealed,
02:09the overall message is yet to be solved.
02:11We can only imagine the public reaction on the day the 97-letter message is finally cracked,
02:16bringing an end to one of America's most captivating puzzles in recent times.
02:37The Civil War was the culmination of disagreement between states,
02:41but tensions were already high before its outbreak, prior to the war.
02:45A group of wealthy Southerners established a secret group called the Knights of the Golden Circle.
02:49Their goal was to form their own country and continue owning slaves there.
02:53Their initial goal was to establish an empire,
02:57and they were hoping it would equal the grandeur of ancient Rome.
03:00However, rumors suggest that their motives were even more insidious than they let on.
03:05President Lincoln's murderer, John Wilkes Booth, was an alleged member of the group,
03:09leading to speculation that his assassination was planned by them.
03:12Supporters include future confederate president Jefferson Davis,
03:17high-ranking southern politicians,
03:20many union officers,
03:22and a famous actor named John Wilkes Booth.
03:26Although the Knights dissolved after the war,
03:28there are theories proposing that the group still exists today.
03:32With ongoing tensions, one can't help but wonder about the possibility of their resurgence.
03:37Number 7. Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance.
03:39The fate of this imposing union leader may not be a mystery,
03:43but the identity of his killer and the whereabouts of his remains certainly are.
03:55Jimmy Hoffa made plenty of enemies during his rise to the top,
03:58which only became worse as he achieved power in the union.
04:01In 1975, he suddenly disappeared and was never seen again.
04:06Dead or alive.
04:18An extensive investigation was conducted,
04:20and besides a single hair strand, hardly any evidence was discovered.
04:32Seven years after his disappearance,
04:35Hoffa was declared legally dead,
04:36and no additional information has come forward since.
04:39To this day, his body has never been found,
04:42although some cryptic hints have been left by former members of the mob.
04:47Number 6. D.B. Cooper.
04:55The events of this night are so intense that they seem more like a movie plot than real life.
05:00In 1971, a man now referred to as D.B. Cooper hijacked a plane,
05:04demanded cash and parachutes,
05:06then instructed the pilots to continue flying.
05:17Soon afterward, he jumped off,
05:19while the plane was still in mid-flight.
05:21People were in sheer disbelief,
05:23and there was immediate speculation about his fate.
05:26Some believed he survived the jump and managed to escape,
05:29while others are certain he died upon impact.
05:32With his body having never been recovered,
05:34the question remains unanswered.
05:36If Cooper indeed survived,
05:38then he pulled off one of the greatest heists the country has ever seen.
05:54Number 5. The Black Dahlia.
05:57While there have unfortunately been numerous unsolved murders in the United States,
06:01this one stands out for its sheer brutality.
06:03The victim, Elizabeth Short, was found with extreme injuries,
06:07the most noticeable being macabre slashes across her face.
06:17News of the death quickly spread across the country,
06:20fueled by the unsettling fact that her murderer was still unidentified.
06:24Investigators believe the killer has to be someone with medical training,
06:28or at least expertise in anatomy.
06:31Many individuals have since tried to take credit for the crime,
06:34but the truth has yet to be uncovered.
06:36Today, speculation about the crime and Short herself still persists,
06:40with ongoing theories bringing forth new suspects and motives.
06:43Although her life was tragically cut short,
06:46the memory of the Black Dahlia lives on
06:48through those tirelessly seeking justice in her name.
06:55Number 4. Area 51.
07:10At first glance, this long-standing facility may not appear particularly exciting.
07:15Nevertheless, what lies inside the walls of Area 51
07:18has fueled one of the country's most popular conspiracy theories.
07:22But the public can only speculate, as the facility remains off-limits to civilians.
07:27The prevailing belief is that it serves as a containment site for extraterrestrial beings.
07:43But some also assert that it's a testing ground
07:45for devices capable of weather control and time travel.
07:48Tensions peaked in 2019 when an online campaign urged people to storm the base.
07:53While some breached the property, no one successfully made it inside.
08:06The stringent security measures around Area 51
08:08have seemingly resulted in one of the biggest strife and effects in history.
08:13Number 3. The Lost Colony of Roanoke.
08:16The fate of the residents in one of America's earliest settlements
08:19has stumped people for centuries.
08:21The Roanoke Colony was established in 1585 by Sir Ralph Lane,
08:25with a population of just over 100 people.
08:28However, when it was visited five years later,
08:30the colony was nothing more than a ghost town.
08:39The only message left behind was a single cryptic word,
08:42Croatoan, to this day.
08:44No one is sure what became of the people who lived there.
08:47While some are optimistic that they integrated with local tribes,
08:51others fear a more sinister fate.
08:53As one of the country's oldest mysteries,
08:55it has remained a staple of pop culture,
08:57even inspiring a season of American horror story.
09:10Number 2. The Zodiac Killer.
09:14The Zodiac Killer terrorizes the San Francisco Bay Area.
09:18While America has seen its fair share of serial killers over the years,
09:22this one stands out for his uncanny ability to evade capture.
09:26Utilizing cryptic puzzles and ciphers,
09:28the Zodiac Killer was unlike any other killer of his time.
09:31It says he likes killing because it is so much fun.
09:37He claims to be collecting slaves for his afterlife.
09:40He was responsible for five known deaths during his spree,
09:44but claimed to have killed 37.
09:46Despite advancements in forensic technology,
09:48no conclusive answers to his identity have been obtained.
09:51The mystery not only became a major facet of pop culture,
09:54but it even inspired a popular online meme at one point.
09:58Although decades have passed since his last confirmed victim,
10:01it's unsettling to think that a murderer
10:03could have been roaming free for the last 50 years.
10:06If the Zodiac is still alive, he's probably laughing
10:09because he's been watching other people be accused of his crimes for years.
10:13Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
10:17The Phoenix Lights.
10:18A phenomenon that helped cultivate a generation of alien conspiracy theorists.
10:28Mass Bird Death.
10:29An odd phenomenon where thousands of birds crashed into buildings, trees, and more.
10:36The Gurdon Light.
10:42A glowing light that many believe is powered by a ghost looking for his head.
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11:19A success story turned tragedy,
11:21what happened to Amelia Earhart remains one of the biggest American mysteries.
11:25Earhart was considered a trailblazer,
11:28becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.
11:30In 1937, she embarked on a flight across the Pacific with her navigator,
11:35and they were never seen again.
11:37What made the situation even more unsettling
11:39was the fact that her plane couldn't be found either,
11:42almost like it had vanished into thin air.
11:44Countless theories have popped up since her disappearance,
11:47ranging from her simply crashing into the ocean,
11:49to her being a spy for President Roosevelt.
12:00While nothing has been determined yet,
12:06her disappearance remains one of the biggest unsolved questions in the country's history.
12:11Which American mystery would you love to see solved in your lifetime?
12:14Let us know in the comments below.
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12:30Thanks for watching!
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